Apparatus for delivering and receiving mail.



G. P. WALTON. APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING AND RECEIVING MAIL. APPLICATION FILED 001?. 23, 1909.

949,81 2. Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

4 2 SHEETSSHBET 1. 4/

G. P. WALTON. APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING AND RECEIVING MAIL.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 23, 1909.

949,812 Patented Feb.22, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' Quota un o GEORGE P. WALTON, OF INGLESIDE, 'MISSISSIPPI.

APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING AND RECEIVING MAIL.

Application filed October 23, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. WVALTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ingleside, in the county of Claiborne and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Delivering and Receiving Mail, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for effecting the interchange of mail between railway cars and stations located along the line traveled thereby, one of the objects of the invention being to provide a mail collecting device which is mounted upon the roof of the car and which can be readily collapsed when not in use so as to occupy the minimum space.

Another object is to provide a device of this type designed to direct the bags of mail and the like collected thereby, downwardly into the car, means being provided whereby said collecting device can be readily shifted so as to properly operate when the car is moving in either direction.

A still further object is to provide improved means for supporting a mail bag in the path of the collecting device.

lVith these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a Vertical longitudinal section through a portion of a car and through the collecting mechanism thereon, the delivering frame being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the collecting hood and the adjoining parts, said hood being shown collapsed. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the hood, one of the closures being also shown in plan. Fig. 1 is a view partly 1n section and partly in elevation of the stationary crane and of the delivering mechanism upon the car, a portion of the car being shown in section.

Referring to the figures by characters of' reference 1 designates a car body having a circular opening 2 1n the roof thereof and ad acent one slde, said opening being normally closed by a revoluble cap 3, there be- 'ing a receiving opening 4 within the cap and which is surrounded by a downwardly extending flange 5. This flange is designed to j pro ect mto elther of two openings 6 formed 2 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

Serial No. 524,254.

within the roof of the car between the opening 2 and the front and rear ends of the car respectively. Each of the apertures 6 is provided with a slidable closure 7 arranged to move within a housing 8, there being a spring within each housing for holding its closure normally in shut position. A slot 10 extends longitudinally beneath each housing and each of the closures has a downwardly extending arm or handle 11 thereon and arranged to travel within the slot. By means of these arms the closures can be shifted so as to open or close the apertures 6 when desired.

A frame 12 extends upward from the cap plate 3 between the aperture 4 and the adjoining end of said plate and a top frame 13 is hingedly connected to the upper end of the frame 12, the sides of the top frame gradually diverging away from the hinge 14. The sides of the frame 12 may be provided with suitable braces 15. Spaced rods 16 are connected to the sides of frames 12 and 13 by means of the ordinary form of rule joints 17 these joints being so disposed that when the frame 13 is supported at a predetermined inclination, the rods 16 extending therefrom are held parallel as shown in Fig. 1. One or more springs 18 extend upwardly from the sides of the plates 3 and bear against the frame 18 so as to hold it normally in an elevated inclined position. A loop 19 is formed at the free end of each rod 16 with the exception of the lower one on each side of the hood formed by the rods and frames. These lower rods are provided with pulleys 20 at their free ends and on which are mounted cables 21 which extend upwardly through the loops 19 and are fastened to the free end of frame 13 at the sides thereof. Said cables extend under the lowermost rods and over sheaves or pulleys 22 journaled on the plate 3, said cables being then extended downward through the plate and attached to the rod 24: which extends from a piston 25. This piston is mounted to reciprocate within a cylinder 26 upstanding from a turn table 27, which, as shown in Fig. 1 has anti-friction devices 28 interposed between it and the circular track on which the turn table is mounted. Any suitable valve mechanism, such as has been indicated generally at 30, can be utilized for directing air under pressure into either end of the cylinder 26 so as to drive the piston 25 in a desired direction. This valve mechanism may be actuated by a hand lever 31 mounted upon the cylinder 26. A second cylinder 32 is supported above the center of the turn table 27 and has a piston 33 therein, the rod 34 of which extends upward to the center of the opening 2 and is secured to the cap plate 3. Any suitable means are provided whereby air under pressure can be directed into the bottom portion of cylinder 32 so as to force the piston 33 upwardly, it being apparent that when this air is exhausted from the cylinder the piston and the parts connected thereto are free to return to their lowermost positions by gravity.

The apparatus utilized for delivering mail bags to the structure hereinbefore described consists of a standard 35 having an arm 36 pivotally connected to the upper portion thereof, said arm being counterbalanced as shown at '37 and being provided adjacent one end with a hanger 38 to which is connected an arcuate supporting finger 39. This finger is disposed to move in a plane extending transversely of the arm 36 and a flexible supporting element 40 is secured to the finger and extends over a sleeve 41 journaled on arm 36 and thence to the upper end of the standard 35 to which it is se cured. An actuating cable 42 is secured to the weighted end 37 of arm 36 and this cable is designed to be wound upon the drum 43 whereby the arm 36 can be elevated to a position with the supporting finger 39 located above the path of the mail receiving hood on the car to which mail is to be delivered. By unwinding the cable 42 that end of the arm 36 to which the finger 39 is connected will swing downwardly, and inasmuch as the cable 40 is secured to the upper end of the standard 35 the same will serve to hold the finger 39 constantly in practically the same relation to the horizontal so that after a mail bag or pouch has been hooked onto this finger, it will be prevented from sliding therefrom by gravity during the swinging movement of the arm in an upward or downward direction.

An arm 44 is mounted upon the standard 35, this arm being provided at one end with a sleeve 45 which is designed to rotate upon the standard, there being cooperating stops 46 and 47 upon the sleeve and standard re speetively for preventing the sleeve and arm from making a complete rotation about the standard. The outer or free end of arm 44 is provided with a bag receiving ring 48 to which is connected a net 49 of a suitable heavy fabric, the ring and net being sufficiently large to receive a bag to be delivered from a moving car.

As shown in Fig. 4 the delivery mechanism upon the car may consist of a rod 50 slidably mounted within a guide 51 located in the door opening of the car, this rod being pivotally attached at its inner end to a lever 52 which is pivotally mounted upon a toothed segment 53 and is designed to be locked thereto in the usual manner. The outer end of the rod 50 is preferably provided with a curved finger 54 similar in construction to the finger 39 heretofore described but said finger 54 is fixedly connected to the rod 50 rather than hingedly connected thereto as is the finger 39. The said finger 54 extends in a direction opposite to that in which the car is moving, and, by means of the lever 52, the rod 50 can be shifted longitudinally so as to bring the finger 54 in position to travel directly over and close to the ring 48. It will be apparent therefore that a bag suspended from this finger will be brought into contact with the ring and thus be slipped off of thefinger and become deposited into the net 49. The im pact of the bag against the ring and net will be sufficient to throw the arm 44 partly around the standard 36 so as to bring the stops 46 and 47 into contact.

When it is desired to deliver a mail bag to a car having the described improvements thereon, the said bag is placed with its ring or loop 55 upon the finger 39. Arm 36 is then raised into the position shown in Fig. 4 and the bag will therefore be suspended in the path of the collecting hood. To use this hood, air is exhausted from the upper portion of the cylinder 26 and the springs 18 thus operate to automatically swing the frame 13 upwardly, the rods 16 assuming parallel positions and the upward movement of frame 13 being limited by the piston 25. As the car passes the point of collection the suspended bag is pushed off of its supporting finger 39 by the advancing edge of the frame 13 and said bag therefore falls into the hood formed by said frame and the rod 16 and is thrown backward against the upstanding frame 12 after which it is discharged through the opening 4 and into the car body 1. After the bag has been collected in this manner the hood 13 can be collapsed by directing air under pressure into the upper end of the cylinder 26. Piston 25 will thus be driven downwardly and will pull on the cables 21 which thus serve to draw the frame 13 downwardly and cause the rods 16 to fold there-against as shown in Fig. 2. Should the car be moving in the opposite direction, the apparatus can be readjusted by first directing air under pressure into the bottom portion of cylinder 32 so as to elevate the piston 33. Rod 34 will therefore lift the cap 3 off of the car top and at the same time raise the flange 5 out of the opening 4 in which it is located. The closure 7 adjacent said flange will thus be permitted to close automatically. The turn table 27 can then be rotated so as to bring the flange 5 above the other opening. The

closure 7 of said opening can then be pressed I back by means of handle 11 and by means of then exhausting the air from the cylinder the plates 3 will be lowered onto the top of the car and the flange 5 will move into the uncovered opening (3. The entire hood will thus be reversed and, by exhausting air from the upper end of the cylinder 26 said hood can be extended in the manner hereinbefore described so as to receive bags supported in the path thereof.

It is of course to be understood that various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Vhat is claimed is 1. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a car structure having an opening in the top thereof, of a collapsible hood supported above and foldable onto said structure and adapted to direct objects into the opening.

2. Apparatus of the class described including a car structure having an opening in the top thereof, a normally open hood thereon for directing objects into the opening, and pressure operated means for collapsing the hood and folding it onto the top of the structure.

3. The combination with a car structure having spaced openings, of a revoluble device upon said structure and having a receiving opening therein, a hood upon said device for directing objects into the discharge opening, and means for shifting said device to bring the receiving opening into register with either of the openings in the car structure.

4. The combination with a car structure having spaced openings, and a closure for each of said openings, of a structure mounted for rotation above said openings, said structure including a receiving hood and being provided with a receiving opening, means for shifting either closure from the opening in the car structure and means for shifting the revoluble structure to bring the receiving opening into register with the uncovered opening in said car structure.

5. The combination with a car structure having spaced openings therein, of a revoluble device upon said structure and having a receiving opening, means extending from said device and around the opening therein for projecting into the openings in the car structure, a receiving hood mounted upon said device for directing objects into the receiving opening, and means for elevating said device to remove the same from disengagement with the car structure.

6. The combination with a car structure having spaced openings, of a device mounted for rotation upon said structure and having a receiving opening, there being means upon the structure surrounding the opening for projecting into either of the apertures within the car structure, a receiving hood mounted upon said device for directing objects into the receiving opening, and pressure operated means for elevating said device outof engagement with the car structure.

7. The combination with a car structure having spaced openings therein, of a device mounted for rotation upon said structure, said device having a receiving opening, means extending from said device and around the receiving opening for projecting into either of the openings within the car structure to hold said device against rotation, a hood mounted upon and movable with said device for directing objects into the receiving openings, and pressure operated means for elevating the device to disengage the flange from the car structure.

8. Apparatus of the class described including a structure having spaced openings therein, a revoluble device mounted on said structure and having a receiving opening therein, means upon said device for projecting into either opening in the car structure to hold the device against rotation, a collapsible hood mounted on and movable with said device for directing objects into the receiving opening, and separate pressure operated means for collapsing the hood and for elevating the device to disengage the same from the car structure and permit the rotation of said device.

9. Apparatus of the class described including a car structure having spaced openings therein, a turn table within said structure, a revoluble device upon the structure and having an opening arranged to register with either of the spaced openings within the car structure, fluid operated means upon the turn-table for elevating the said device, means on said device for engaging the car structure to hold the device against rotation when in lowered posit-ion, a receiving hood mounted on said device for directing objects into the registering openings, and fluid operated means upon the turn table for collapsing the hood.

10. Apparatus of the class described including a car structure having space-d openings therein, a receiving hood for directing objects into either of said openings, a pivotal support for the hood, and fluid operated means for collapsing the hood.

11. Apparatus of the class described including a. car structure, a reversible receiving hood supported thereby, there being normally registering openings within the hood and structure, means for collapsing the hood and for folding it onto the top of the structure.

12. The combination with a car structure having a receiving opening in the top thereof, and a hood movably mounted upon said structure for directing objects into the opening, a stationary crane at one side of the parts of the car, and a bag supporting member pivotally connected to the crane and above the path of the hood, said member being extended in the direction of movement of the hood.

13. The combination with a car structure having an opening therein, of a collapsible receiving hood movably mounted on the structure for directing objects into said opening, yielding means for holding said hood normally extended and fluid operated means for collapsing the hood.

14. The combination with a car structure having an opening therein, and a receiving hood upon the structure for directing objects into the opening, of a relatively fixed standard, a. pivotally supported arm mounted thereon, a bag engaging member pivotally connected to said arm, and means connected to the standard and member for n'iaintaining said member substantially in a fixed relation to the horizontal during the swinging movement of the arm.

15. Apparatus of the class described including a supporting structure, a supporting frame thereabove, a top frame hingedly connected to the supporting frame, side rods pivotally connected to the sides of the top and supporting frames, said rods and frames having integral cooperating means for limiting the downward swinging move ment of the rods relative to the frames and means connected to the top frame and en gaging the rods for folding said frame onto the rods.

16. Apparatus of the class described including a. supporting frame, a top frame hingedly connected thereto, side rods pivotally connected to the supporting and top frames, said rods and frames having cooperating means for limiting the downward movement of the rods relative to the frames, each rod having a loop at the free end thereof, a fluid actuated piston, and a flexible connection between the piston and the hinged frame, said connection extending through the loops of the rods.

17. Apparatus of the class described in cluding a supporting frame, a top frame hingedly connected thereto, side rods pivotally connected to the supporting and top frames, said rods and frames having co operating means; for limiting the downward movement of the rods relative to the frames, each rod having a loop at the free end thereof, a fluid actuated piston, and a flexible connection between the piston and the hinged frame, said connection extending through the loops of the rods and yielding means for holding the frame normally in an elevated position.

18. The combination with a car structure having an opening in the top thereof, of a collapsible bag receiving member upon said structure for directing bags into the open ing, means for collapsing said member and foldng it onto the top of the structure and means overhanging the path of the structure for supporting a bag in the path of the bag receiving means.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE P. VALTON.

Witnesses LUKE T. NoRwooD, K. C. WILLIS. 

